Forest's Gibbs-White a Major Doubt for Brighton Clash
Nottingham Forest face an anxious wait over the fitness of key midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of their Premier League encounter with Brighton this Sunday. The 25-year-old playmaker is a significant injury concern after being forced to sit out the team's midweek European fixture.
Scare After Anfield Triumph
The injury concern for Gibbs-White comes just days after his starring role in Forest's stunning 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, a result that piled pressure on Reds manager Arne Slot. Gibbs-White was on the scoresheet in that famous win, making his subsequent absence all the more noticeable.
His status for the Brighton match was thrown into serious doubt when he was left out of the squad entirely for Thursday night's 3-0 Europa League win against Malmo at the City Ground. He was spotted watching the match from the stands, a clear indication that he was not fit to participate.
Dyche Plays Down Severity
Speaking before the Malmo match, Forest manager Sean Dyche provided an initial update, attempting to calm fears about a long-term issue. "We're just settling an issue with him, we're hopeful it's nothing too serious but he'll miss this one," Dyche stated. He added, "Hopefully it'll settle down quickly but we're waiting on further news. Not this far, nothing too serious."
While the manager's comments suggest optimism, the fact that a concrete timeline for return was not provided leaves Gibbs-White's immediate availability in question. His potential absence would be a major blow for a Forest side looking to build momentum.
Dyche's team selection against Malmo also highlighted broader fitness challenges within the squad. The manager made six other changes, with players like goalkeeper Matz Sels and Nicolo Savona starting on the bench.
Following the victory, Dyche admitted that several players are being selected despite not being at peak match fitness due to a spate of injuries. He praised Callum Hudson-Odoi for completing 90 minutes despite recently returning from injury, calling it a "risk and reward" situation.
"Ideally the way I work is to get them fit for the task, not use the task to get fit," Dyche explained. "We haven't managed to do that, some players are having to get fit on the job and I don't think that's ideal but that's what we're having to do. The use of every player is going to be really, really important going forwards."
All eyes will now be on Dyche's press conference ahead of the Brighton game for a definitive update on Morgan Gibbs-White's fitness.
